Ollie & Gloria Maier
Daily Record Columnists
— Today, a variety of things taken from the Resource Recycling e-newsletter. In the past, we’ve mentioned programs where citizens recycling through curb-side can receive coupons, based on the amount recycled, to redeem at local businesses. (San Marcos is scheduled to receive such a program.)
One such program, “RecycleBank announced a pilot program in the largest city yet to sign up with the incentive-based recycling program — Los Angeles. The program will be offered to 15,000 single family homes in the West Valley and North Central areas of the city of Angels, with the 12-month program to be studied by the city's Department of Public Work' Bureau of Sanitation for any possible expansion past the pilot.”
(Let’s hope it is successful there too... Besides that good feeling of knowing you are doing what is right, getting something back for your efforts is always nice.)
Many of us recycle aluminum cans, either for the money or because “It’s the right thing to do.” Thus this item caught our eye. “Aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. announced that it will provide 50,000 recycling bins around the country as part of its 2010 recycling bin program.”
(That’s a lot of bins to fill... But should make it easier to do so.)
We all know batteries shouldn’t go to the landfill. One program to collect old batteries is appropriately named “Call2Recycle.”
“Call2Recycle recently announced its 2009 collection totals, collecting 6.1 million pounds of rechargeable batteries, a 6.9 percent increase in overall collections, which it attributes to "increased efforts by major retailers, including Home Depot, Apple, RadioShack, Lowe's," and groups such as the Interstate All Battery Center and the Recycling Organizations of North America. The aforementioned organizations collected 20 percent more batteries in 2009 than in the previous year.”
This took place even though the sale of batteries was down due to the economy. Yet as an official for the program stated, "By using our recycling program to divert millions of pounds of solid waste from local landfills, businesses and consumers alike are making a statement that environmental sustainability is a priority, regardless of the economy."
(It is also great that places like Green Guy Recycling Services take such batteries at the drop-off site and the city of San Marcos has county-wide hazardous waste collection events where such batteries can be brought.)
Finally, although we were not aware of its existence, “The Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA), relatively dormant since its incorporation last summer, is formally beginning operations, seeking to, according to its mission statement, ‘further waste reduction, re-use, recycling and product stewardship on an international basis through a network of like-minded organizations.’"
(We wish them luck and hope they will provide a lot of substantial information we can pass on to you through these columns.)
Till next week, do have a great one...
Gloria and Ollie are local citizens concerned with the environment and helping others. Ollie is a graduate of Leadership San Marcos and they both received higher education at TxState University and worked on staff before retiring. For questions or comments, please call them at 353-7432 or e-mail them to omaier@TxState.edu.
